


Time to Rest our Eyes

by ReptileRuler



Category: Wallace & Gromit
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Illustrated Fic, Sleepy Boys, Uncle!Gromit, contains art, falling asleep, post - a close shave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:27:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24097303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReptileRuler/pseuds/ReptileRuler
Summary: Shaun and Gromit fall asleep in a chair.
Relationships: gromit & shaun
Comments: 8
Kudos: 9





	Time to Rest our Eyes

“Mighty kind of Wendolene to take care of all the sheep, innit, lad? Well, except for wee Shaun that is.”

The keys jingled while Wallace unlocked their front door. Said sheep was cradled in Gromit’s arms - the entire adventure had taken a lot out of little Shaun, barely past lamb-hood, and the excitement of having stopped Preston and saved everybody, he soon fell asleep from exhaustion. 

Wendolene promised them to sort out the whole mess with the rustled sheep, getting them back to their respective farmers. However, Shaun had stubbornly stayed by Gromit’s side until everyone decided that he could just stay with them until they knew where he really belonged. Gromit couldn’t say he minded - he little sheep had grown on him these past few days. 

“Don’t know about you, but I’m feeling a tad bit peckish. What do you say, some cheese before we call it a night, ey?” Wallace said, already in the kitchen. 

Gromit nodded as she passed the kitchen door. He looked around for somewhere to place the sleeping sheep and his eyes fell on his beloved armchair. It looked awfully inviting. He hadn’t had a soft chair since before he went to jail…

With one glance at the kitchen - Wallace looked busy bustling about and muttering to himself - he decided that he wasn’t needed and made his way to the seat. 

He gave a deep sigh as his body hit the cushions. The stress and lingering adrenaline from their adventure seeped out of him as he sank deeper into the softness. If he closed his eyes, he would surely fall asleep on the spot. That wouldn’t do - there would be dishes after Wallace was done in the kitchen, and he needed to properly put Shaun to bed as well.

Speaking of the sheep, he still snoozed peacefully in Gromit’s arms. Gromit gently adjusted him until he lay sprawled across his lap, releasing his arms. Now Shaun was not a heavy sheep, but Gromit still felt the stiffness and fatigue from carrying him for so long. He stretched his arms out, rolled his wrists and his shoulders for a second, before letting them fall once again. One hand he placed on top of Shaun, rubbing circles through the fabric of his sweater. The other he rested on the armrest. 

The smell of darjeeling was slowly filling the house, and Gromit heard his human place porcelain tea cups on a tray. The slow ticking of their grandfather clock was what finally made him feel truly at home. That was the one constant he had known ever since he was first adopted into the household. He looked down at Shaun, softening at the sight. 

To think that Shaun had entered their life by wrecking the house, and now was sleeping like an innocent lamb in Gromits lap. In the beginning he had been so scared, hiding from both him and Wallace even after they had decided to keep him around. He had been through a lot already, back then. No one should have to be kidnapped and find themself in a strange place without knowing how to get back home. But it had only been a few days, and Gromit had already seen him open up into a curious and intelligent little creature, that always seemed to be observing Wallace and he and wanting to learn how they built things ot how everything worked. 

Yes, Shaun would turn into something remarkable one day, he could feel it. But he needed to get back to his home - he needed pastures to graze on and a flock to make him feel safe. If he stayed here he would likely eat them out of the house.

Not that Gromit felt any hurry to say goodbye. He rather liked having someone around that looked up to him… and that looked nice in the things he knitted. He wanted to knit Shaun a hat...

Gromit blinked with heavy eyelids. What time was it? They had busted out of jail at 8, but that felt like an eternity ago…

-

“Oh, I’m sorry, Gromit. I meant to make us a nice platter of cheese but it seems more of it made its way into me mouth than the plate itself. I just can’t help it, this wensleydale is- Oh… Oh my.”

Wallace paused inte the entryway to their living room, the sad excuse for a cheese plate in one hand and the other one flying to cover his blabbering mouth. 

He found Gromit slumped into his armchair, with wee Shaun cradled in his lap. They were both dead to the world - didn’t even stir when Wallace entered!

“I suppose it is quite late”, he mumbled to himself. “I reckon I’ll let them sleep, then. All the more cheese for me!”

He turned to go back to the kitchen, but paused in his tracks. They were awfully precious, sleeping there. And they didn’t yet have any pictures of Shaun! That was no good. A photograph was a precious memory, and Wallace had always been diligent about photographing his life together with Gromit. Right now their life also contained a tiny sheep, but no visual evidence of it…

Now that simply had to be rectified. Wallace placed down his cheese tray and set off to find the camera. 

After all, just because Shaun had his own family to return to, didn’t mean he wasn’t part of theirs right now!


End file.
